Mon Aug 01 2011 22:44one night in Bangkok:
We flew all day to get to Bangkok. First we had to get up around 6 am to get to the airport and fly domestic to Mumbai. Our first glitch came at check in, when they informed us our carry on luggage was too heavy. We had two small suitcases and two backpacks for 3 seats. That seems fine to me. So we put all the heavy stuff in our backpacks, since they don't weigh those, threw a small fit, and then they allowed us not to check anything. Flight was late so we only had a two-hour layover in Mumbai. Once there, we were shuttled from the domestic terminal to the international terminal. That took about an hour. Then immigration, security again, and made it to our flight just in time for boarding.

The second plane to Bangkok was weird. No first class. We were on the second row, which was nice. The plane was overloaded with white people; I haven't seen so many in months, eight to be exact. This flight seemed to last forever, even if it was only 4.5 hours. I tried to watch teevee, but I couldn't get the gist of the channels. I did manage to watch an old school season 1 Simpsons episode and also struggled through an episode of some show called "How I met your mother." Susie watched some Bollywood flik.

Finally in Bangkok at dusk. They have these odd escalators that take you halfway down a level, level out for about 20 paces, then continue on down again. The airport is huge and we got lost, but managed to find a Dunkin Donuts for some much needed sustenance before our trek into town.

Susie and I have been trying to decide what aspects of Bangkok are similar to the Kong, India, Malaysia, and distinct to Thailand itself. On first blush the city seemed like India: the taxis are green and yellow like an auto in India, and they also paint the curbs black and white here. But the comparison quickly ended. Unlike India, Bangkok has FREEWAYS! Without potholes! Without speedbumps! And people have lane discipline. And people don't honk their horns. Amazing!

We got to our hotel around 8:30 and checked in and couldn't have been happier. The hotel is in the middle of the shopping district, next to the Skytrain, had carpet, a couch for Maggie to sleep on, a cot for Dalton, lots of space, and a bathtub! Which I used every night! The bed was hard as a rock but that's Asia. We were on the 9th floor and enjoyed a decent view.

Other observations of the first night include the fact that Thai people love our kids, just like Indians, but they also have a sense of decorum and personal space and normally admired from a small distance. Which the kids seemed to appreciate. Also, the autos here are more open air than in India, are bigger, and MUCH more colorful. It seems the auto (or tuk tuk) driver can color his auto however he wishes. Which is normally in bright, fluorescent colors, pink being the primary one used. That is a distinct Thai feature.

One night in Bangkok leaves you wondering what took you so long to come.